Our children are our pride and joy. Their smiles light up our lives and their laughter warms our hearts. As parents, we are constantly trying to bond, protect and nurture our kids’ health from their vision to their teeth. One of the most common and simplest place to bond with your child: in the kitchen. Every year the kitchen is the site of the most serious accidents in the home and every year, over 67 000 children end up needing medical attention. If you are a parent or a garden, chances are you already wondering about impending the dangers once they crawling. One of the best ways to avoid becoming one of those statistics: Prevent it before it even happens. Check out these handy considerations to think about when baby proofing the home.
Smart Storage
A child’s curiosity is unwavering. To keep your child safe, store potential hazards away from your child’s reach. Potentially harmful object utensils such as knives, matches and plastic bags should be stored either in high places or in drawers fitted with recommended child proof locks. Cling film and aluminium foil boxes are often overlooked as well. The serrated edges on the boxes can easily cut a child.Finally, consider smart storage for your kitchen stools and chairs. To further prevent access and any potential falls, store any stools and chairs tucked away after cooking with your child.
Keep The Chemicals Out Of Sight & Reach
Each year, thousands of child are seen in the hospitals for either ingestion or injuries stemming from chemical products; products such as our everyday kitchen cleaner or dishwashing liquid. While it may not occur to you, simple household substances can be extremely toxic to young children. It is a smart idea once your baby begins crawling to remove any chemicals being stored on a lower level and store them in a locked cupboard (using a child proof lock) or high enough that they are only accessible to you and other adults.
Remember Your Countertops
Some designs may look beautiful but are not practical for children. One good example is the shaping of your countertop edges. Sharp edges are a common source of injuries amongst children and within the kitchen it is no different. Many child proof kits sold these days come with cushioned caps included that can easily remedy this. Other ways to childproof your countertops include removing sharp objects close to the edges and getting into the habit of not leaving hot or sharp objects on the edge, where a child may reach up to grab.
Lastly, consider the safety of your cooking equipment. Be sure to research manufacturer information including product recall notices and consumer reviews when purchasing equipment such as microwaves, pressure cookers and slow cookers. Malfunctioning cooking equipment can cause harm to you or your loved ones and in the past several manufacturers have seen lawsuits being brought against them for failure to warn consumers of the risks.
The Hob & Oven
Finally, there is the dangers of the central equipment in your kitchen: the hob and oven. While there are not many ideas to childproof an oven, you can baby proof your stove by removing the knobs if that is an option for your model. Of course, this may not be an option should you need to use your stove or oven often so the first course of action should be teaching your child kitchen safety and more specifically, that the stove and oven are off limits.
Although it is difficult to think of, always be prepared for the event of accidents. This means having fire extinguishers and a first aid kit on hand in the event of an incident. As a parent, we often worry about our children’s safety. We worry about them on the their first day of school, on their first sleepover and even worry about them getting hurt while in the kitchen. With a few considerations and these handy tips, you can reduce the chances of that happening to your loved ones and instead, focus on their beautiful smiles.
